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New Canaan Branch
|logo = Metro-North logo.svg |logo_width = 250px |image = NewCanaanRRstaViewXtracksJul2007.jpg |image_width = 250px |caption = New Canaan station in New Canaan, CT. |type = Regional rail |system = Metro-North_Commuter_Railroad |status = |locale = Stamford, CT to New Canaan, CT |start = Grand Central Terminal Stamford |end = New Canaan |stations = 5 (+1 proposed) |routes = |ridership = |open = |close = |owner = Connecticut DOT |operator = New Canaan RR (1868-1879) Stamford & New Canaan RR (1883-1884) NY,NH&H (1884-1969) Penn Central (1969-1971) ConnDOT (lessor 1971-1976, owner 1976-present) Metro-North (operator 1983-present) |character = Commuter rail |stock = M2 M8 |linelength = |tracklength = 13.2 km (8.2 mi) |notrack = 1 |gauge = |el = 12,500 V AC catenary |speed = |elevation = |box_width = 320px |map = |}} Metro North Railroad's New Canaan Branch is a short branch of their New Haven Line from a junction east of downtown Stamford, Connecticut north to New Canaan. It opened in 1868 as the New Canaan Railroad. History The New Canaan Railroad was chartered in May 1866 as a short branch of the New York and New Haven Railroad. It opened July 4, 1868 when a train ran from Stamford to New Canaan. Within a year of the opening of operations a branch from the NY&NH main line south in Stamford to the pier at the Pine Island Steamboat Landing was opened to allow passengers and freight to switch to steamboats running on Long Island Sound. Despite such attempts to increase revenue on January 1, 1879, the company went bankrupt, and it was reorganized in 1883 as the Stamford and New Canaan Railroad. The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad leased the line on October 1, 1884, and on October 1, 1890 it was merged into the NYNH&H. The NYNH&H was merged into Penn Central in 1969. On January 1, 1971, the State of Connecticut leased operation of passenger service along the New Canaan Branch to Penn Central for $100,000 per year. On April 10, 1972 Penn Central briefly suspended off-peak service on the branch to install high-level platforms at stations. In 1983 the Metro-North Commuter Railroad took over the operation of trains on the branch. Like the New Haven mainline, the entire branch is electrified, although it is currently the only electrified branch. Peak service is provided by MNRR's Cosmopolitan EMU cars, usually with a two-pair or triplet-and-a-pair consist. Beginning in 2011, off-peak shuttle service is also provided by the new Kawasaki M8. Except for the storage tracks at New Canaan, this branch is single-tracked. Most trains operate as a shuttle between Stamford and New Canaan; a few peak trains run through to Grand Central Terminal on weekday mornings and return in the evening. The film The Ice Storm features the New Canaan branch extensively, with M-2 cars (although dressed in Penn Central markings for the 1973 setting). Proposed station As of July 2007, a Stamford East Side station under consideration for this line or just past it on the New Haven line. Incidents On August 20, 1969 at about 8:20 p.m., a northbound commuter train with a three-man crew and about 60 to 80 passengers hit an empty southbound train carrying only five employees, killing four and injuring 40 just north of the Hoyt Street crossing in Darien. The lead cars of each train were almost completely destroyed. The National Transportation Safety Board report concluded that the cause was the northbound train's failure to stop at a meeting point as stated on train orders. On July 13, 1976, two trains collided, killing two and injuring 29. In October 1976, the CDOT released their report which only blamed the engineer of the northbound train (Number 1994) for excessive speed. The engineer's union contended that there was a problem with the train brakes, that there was an automatic track lubricator which had been putting down excessive oil for two weeks before the incident and an insufficient signal system. The National Transportation Safety Board released their final report on the incident on May 19, 1977 as Report Number RAR-77-04. That report concluded that the cause was "the failure of the engineer of train No. 1994 to perceive the train ahead and to apply the brakes at the earliest possible time". It also cited problems with the design of the signal system, design of the M2's exit doors and interior design of the trains. The New Canaan Branch was severely impacted by Hurricane Sandy on October 29–30, 2012. The line was blocked by fallen trees in 37 different locations; many of these trees also brought down the overhead catenary wires. Shuttle buses replaced all trains. The railroad announced that regular service resumed on November 13. This resumption was marred by slippery rails caused by rain and fallen leaves, to the extent that service had to be shut down again that afternoon to deploy Metro-North's rail-washing train. Train service resumed in time for the evening commute. Stations See also * Connecticut Rail Commuter Council is the official state advocate for train commuters and brings station problems to the attention of officials. * The New Canaan Branch Line Details of the railroad that has been integral to the development of Fairfield County, Connecticut, with interactive maps, photographs, and information about the rail line's history. * List of New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad precursors Gallery File:GlenbrookRRstaSeats8StamfordCT07152007.jpg|Glenbrook Station File:TalmadgeHillStationBridgeOverMerrittPkwy2007.jpg|Tallmadge Hill station over Merritt Parkway File:EndOfTheLineNewCanaanBranch2007.jpg|The end of the line References *Railroad History Database *Philip C. Blakeslee, A Brief History Lines West Of The New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Co. (1953) Notes Category:Metro-North Railroad Category:Rail infrastructure in Connecticut Category:Passenger rail transportation in Connecticut Category:New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad lines Category:Companies affiliated with the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad Category:Transportation in Stamford, Connecticut Category:New Canaan, Connecticut Category:Transportation in Fairfield County, Connecticut Category:Railway lines opened in 1868